Last week my neighbor’s
house caught fire, totaling all but the infrastructure. I stood with her as the
fire was brought under control. Through bouts of tears she said, “it’s just a
house, no one was hurt.” I know her as a woman of faith. In
those moments, I saw her let go of what was quickly lost. I watched her reset and
surrender her reality of ownership, with a visceral understanding of a woman’s
need for a home.
Jesus knew that nothing affects and infests our spirits
more quickly than money and possessions – working to get them and working to
keep them. Jesus warned of covetousness with the somber reminder that our
lives, and our intrinsic value don’t consist of the abundance of things we
possess. For those seeking intimacy with God, the thought of excessive wealth
should be downright scary!
Solomon’s verdict on the abundance of wealth was that “it
is all meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 2:11 He determined not to let wealth get in
the way of his devotion to God. Rather, he served God with his assets, helping
those in need.
Only Luke recounts the story of the rich but foolish man
bent on amassing money and all that it could buy, instead of being rich towards
God. This parable is about being at one with life, the creator and the present moment. When we live with an anxious mind, when we chase the wind and the concepts of our minds, we suffer the consequence of never being satisfied.
“I’ve
learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly,
it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me.”
(Corrie Tin Boom)
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